BILLS CLINCH DIVISION WITH SNOW GLOBE WIN OVER SAN FRANCISCO
The Buffalo Bills had a picture-esq performance vs San Francisco last night to clinch the divisional title and pick up their tenth win of the season, winning 35-10.
It’s the fifth straight year Buffalo claims the division, a feat the franchise hasn’t accomplished before. The Bills are also the fastest team in the NFL to lock up their division this year, with five games still remaining in the regular season.
Balance on the offense has been a staple this season, specifically when it comes to who is being targeted in the passing game, but I’d argue that the Bills’ rushing attack is more of a reason why they’ve won seven straight games. Not just the efficiency of the running backs, or even the usage of six offensive lineman at times, but mostly because of the full commitment to blocking that Bills’ wide receivers have displayed.
There’s one specific Bill that didn’t get much hype this summer, when he signed a one-year deal. Mack Hollins is Buffalo top wide receiver because of the role he plays in the run game. Just last night, the first two scores for Buffalo were rushing touchdowns in the first half, a five-yard sweep from Ray Davis and a sixty-five yard touchdown run from James Cook. On each of the two plays, there is one Buffalo player that sets a block that directly opens up a lane for the running back to advance through. Hollins was brought in, not to replace Gabe Davis or Stefon Diggs, but to reimagine how pass catchers are used within the Bills’ system. Hollins' commitment to block on the first two scores earned him a target in the endzone on Buffalo’s next possession, a one-on-one jump ball that Hollins made look easy, giving Buffalo a 21-7 lead.
Later, Josh Allen would try to find Amari Cooper, but as the wideout was wrapped up, Cooper pitched the ball back to Allen, who dove into the pilon to extend the Bills’ lead. Allen would rush an insurance touchdown later, in the 4th quarter, and that was all she wrote.
Buffalo was balanced, with 220 rushing yards and just under 150 passing yards in the game. That’s on par for the Bills’ season stats, where they sit 11th in the league in rushing yards per game. The Bills are now officially playing for the one seed and a first round bye.
Next week, the Bills (10-2) head to the west coast for an early Sunday evening meeting with the Los Angeles Rams (6-6). Kickoff from Sofi Stadium is just before 4:30.
SABRES RETURN TO OLD, LOSING HABITS; PREPARE FOR HOMESTAND
After they swept through their California road trip, the Buffalo Sabres have fallen back into some of the habits that cost them games at the beginning of this season, especially on Saturday night, when the Sabres lost to the New York Islanders, 3-0. That performance was the encore of a 4-3 overtime loss from last week Friday vs Vancouver, a game that Buffalo fought to even get a point from.
Buffalo’s power play has become stagnant again. In their last five games, the Sabres are zero for 13 on the man advantage. It’s frustrating to watch at times, with the lack of an attacking mindset, sometimes the fan in the 300 level yelling “shoooot” has a point. In their last three games, all against potentially playoff teams, mind you, the Sabres have gotten outscored 8-3 in that span. Buffalo finds themselves in a hole again, but there is some daylight from above, as five consecutive games at home lie in front of them.
Buffalo hosts Colorado tomorrow night at 7PM.
TWO LOCAL FOOTBALL TEAMS ADVANCE TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
The Salamanca Warriors and the Clymer-Sharman-Panama Wolfpack football teams are headed to the NYSPHSAA Championships this weekend.
(13-0) Salamanca defeated Section IV Powerhouse Chenango Forks in dominant fashion, 34-14, in the Class C Semifinal on Saturday. The Warriors’ rushing attack took control of the game after Forks drove down the field to score first, killing clock for an overwhelming majority of the first quarter. The Warriors are the second team this season to keep Chenango Forks from scoring more than twice. The Warriors will represent Section VI at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse for the Class C State Championship this coming weekend against Section 2’s Schuylerville Horses (12-1).
(11-2) CSP defeated Section III’s Dolgeville with ease, 43-14, in the Class D Semifinal on Friday. The Wolfpack took complete control of the game, which featured a signature performance from senior quarterback (and Connolly Cup Finalist) Tate Catanese, who threw for over 200 yards and four touchdowns. Travis Owens rushed a pair of scores as well. In the win, Bryce Hinsdale broke the NYSPHSAA record for most receptions in a career, currently with 229. CSP will face Section XI’s Burke Catholic (10-1) in the Class D State Championship this coming weekend at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse.
BULLS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SWEEPS BIG FOUR IN BACK-TO-BACK YEARS
The Buffalo Bulls women’s basketball team defeated St. Bonaventure, 74-46, on Saturday, wrapping up a clean sweep of WNY’s Big Four rivals for the second straight season, ending a perfect month of November.
Head Coach Becky Burke has taken a lot of pride in Buffalo reigning supreme over their rivals, going back three years now. In nine games against Canisius, Niagara, and the Bonnies, Coach Burke holds an 8-1 record since coming to UB in 2022.
In the last week, Buffalo used runs of 12-0, 12-0, and 17-2 out of halftime to build significant leads over Canisius, Niagara, and St. Bonaventure respectively. The Bulls’ sweeping of WNY was led by transfer senior guard Terah Harness, who averaged 15 points and 3 rebounds across the three games. UB sophomore Alexis Davis was also impressive in the last week, notching her fifth career double double against the Purple Eagles, coming up one point shy of another against the Bonnies on Saturday.
The Bulls (7-0) return to action at Alumni Arena on Wednesday night, as they host the Binghamton Bearcats. Tipoff in Amherst is set for 6PM.
